Passenger bus operations will have to be limited from Monday (28) due to the shortage of diesel, revealed the Private Bus Owners Association.
Accordingly, 50 per cent of passenger buses will be removed from operations, the Union concluded.
As of now, there is a severe shortage of diesel in the country affecting public transportation.
MIAP
A power cut of over 04 hours and 40 minutes will occur tomorrow, said the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL).
The manner in which these power cuts occur has also been publicised by the PUCSL, stating that a power cut of 05 hours and 15 minutes will occur to areas belonging to zones P,Q,R,S,T,U,V and W, cutting power for 02 hours and 45 minutes between 08.30 am and 04.45 pm and cutting power for 02 hours and 30 minutes between 04.45 pm and 09.45 pm.
Meanwhile, a power cut of 04 hours and 40 minutes will occur to areas belonging to zones A,B and C, cutting power for 02 hours and 40 minutes between 08.30 am and 04.30 pm and cutting power for 02 hours between 04.30 pm and 10.30 pm, the PUCSL added.
MIAP
Former President Maithripala Sirisena has denied allegations that he went abroad for medical treatment despite receiving information that a terrorist attack would take place on Easter Sunday. The former president says he would not have left the country for any reason if the intelligence or security forces had informed him of such an attack.
Speaking at a Sunday service at the Nirmali Church in Polonnaruwa, Maithripala Sirisena said he had not received any information about the Easter attack while receiving treatment at a hospital in Singapore. He also states that he can swear it on the holy cross.
The former president further said that he would have instructed the security forces to enforce the curfew and taken necessary action if he was informed that the security forces were under attack while he was in Singapore.
The salary of the President of the country is only 90,000 rupees and in comparison with that the nursing service gets more facilities says the Chancellor of the University of Colombo Ven. Murutthettuwe Ananda Thero.
“This is not a job, this is a profession. Maybe giving you some allowance or salary for the service you do is a different matter. But we are committed to doing a good service. The salary of the President is 90,000 rupees. When we make this comparison, today we have more facilities. Our side also needs to be a little better when we get more facilities. Despite these shortcomings, if we come to our Prime Minister and our current President as much as possible and remind them, we will never say no.”
Ven. Murutthettuwe Ananda Thera said this addressing a function held at Temple Trees yesterday (26) to dedicate 153 new nurses to the service of the Nightingale Pledge.
Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa is set to visit the United States on an official tour this April, in the objective of holding discussions with international bodies to solve the economic crisis befallen Sri Lanka.
Minister Rajapaksa is expected to hold discussions with the heads of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the heads of the World Bank. These talks are believed to be held in Washington.
Initial discussions are already underway and are successfully being carried out, reports said.
Should these talks success, a chances are high that Sri Lanka will receive a relief package in order to solve the prevailing economic crisis.
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Power cuts are reportedly have to be carried out until the reservoirs used for hydroelectricity are sufficient filled. The power outages, therefore, are likely to continue for at least another three months, experts in the field warned.
The areas in which these reservoirs are located will not receive sufficient rainfall until the end of May, despite the intermittent showers before the month, revealed the Meteorological Department.
The water levels in the reservoirs used for power generation can only be used for another two weeks, and chances are high that the hydroelectricity generation may be disrupted if there are now showers.
The above circumstances appear in the midst of an escalating fuel crisis, further endangering the process of generating power in the future. Experts also warn that the existing power cuts are likely to be extend by a few more hours, should the crises continue.
MIAP
State Minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa speaking to a function held yesterday (26) stated that the Opposition is picturing an image of a commodity shortage in the country and proposes no practical solution to solve the economic crisis, but the President is putting his highest effort into solving problems.
“Bearing all the trouble, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is putting great effort to manage the country well. As the efforts are being put, the Opposition sometimes goes on saying that the ‘President failed’, ‘no fuel, power and gas in the country’ and is picturing an image of a commodity shortage in the country. But none of them are providing a recommending a proposal to solve the economic crisis. This is not something our country suffers from alone, for every country in the world is facing these economic crises.
As Sri Lanka, we too had to face this at a time when businesses, and all the sectors that can locate funds and generate revenue to the public sector have come to a standstill. However, His Excellency the President, the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister have never taken any action to make up for the lack of development activities at the district level and at the village level,” he said.
A resolution to solve the economic crisis suffered by Sri Lanka is to be launched by the minor parties of the government on March 02, 2022.
The collective is comprised of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the Democratic Leftist Party, Lanka Samasamaja Party, the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, the National Freedom Front, the National Congress, the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, the Sri Lanka Mahajana Pakshaya, the Vijaya Dharani National Council, the Eksath Mahajana Pakshaya and Yuthukama National Movement and is set to launch its National Statement “Mulu Ratama Hari Magata” on the said date.
The event is set to be launched on March 02 at 3 pm at the Monarch Imperial Hall in Sri Jayawardenapura and a special discussion was held on February 23 at the residence of former President Sirisena as well.
11 representatives of the minor parties government including Ministers Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila and Vasudewa Nanayakkara and MPs former President Maithripala Sirisena, Athuraliye Ratana Thero, Tiran Alles, Gevindu Kumaratunga and Asanka Navaratne, together with a distinguished group of intellectuals and artists are expected to join the event.
MIAP
The government should be providing a special fuel subsidy for buses in the backdrop where Lanka IOC has surged the price of diesel by Rs. 15 per litre, said Chief Secretary of the All Ceylon Private Bus Companies’ Federation Anjana Priyanjith, speaking to media yesterday (26).
“The government should immediately be providing a special subsidy for buses. There is no other option but to revise the bus fares. We urge the government provide a diesel subsidy without letting the surging of the bus fares happen,” he said.
MIAP
Sri Lanka’s cost of living is likely to surge by twice or thrice as bigger as it is now in the next few days due to the Russia – Ukraine conflict, said Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Jagath Kumara, speaking to a briefing held in the SLPP Headquarters yesterday (26).
“The world is facing a very serious matter at the moment. The situation in which Russia attacks Ukraine. This situation affects every country economically and socially in certain ways. Both Russia and Ukraine are our friends, and in the backdrop of war, we may likely to lose the ties with these two countries. In such a situation, we may likely to have a problem with our products, especially exporting tea. Russia imports a lot of tea from us and helps us; supports us in many ways. Ukraine too has supported us in various ways,” the MP said.
He added: “Therefore, there is uncertainty whether the conflict between these two countries may further drive us down in the crisis. Even in the world, it is uncertain whether this may trigger another war. We were not the only ones to face the dollar crisis, the recession and the increasing cost of living. The cost of living may likely to soar by twice or thrice the size of it is today due to the Russia – Ukraine conflict. So, the fuel price has begun to increase again, so will gas. Also, when we are unable to export our products, the dollar deficit worsens. Of these crises may affect this country again. These are not problems we looked for. We are not the ones who told Russia and Ukraine to fight each other, are we?”
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